Cooking Biscuits

This post has nothing to do with cooking or biscuits, but it needed a title and for some reason, homemade biscuits with lots of butter and honey came to mind.  The title may be unrelated, but cravings are.  In this case I'm not sure how they are related except that our desires always stem from our cravings -- whether it be happiness, wealth or biscuits.

Often, with the increasing influence of each new generation, we see that the meanings of some words are changed.  The word "bad" comes to mind in that it is often used to mean "the best."  A previous generation used "the bomb" to mean something good.  I thought bombs were used to kill, maim and destroy.  What do I know.

National Socialism defined the political party of Hitler.  Socialism was viewed differently than Bolshevism which was the Russian form of Communism which was derived from the Marx version of Socialism.  Bolshevism and Capitalism were considered the enemies of Socialism by the Nazis who believed that the Jews were behind both of those opposing systems of government/economy.  It is that belief that ultimately drove the behavior of the Nazis to their "Final Solution" to the "Jewish" problem.  It was a movement cloaked in euphemisms and rhetoric that was designed to coerce any who were not "true believers" to accept the party line.  Propaganda was a primary tool of such coercion, and it used words in ways that meant one thing to "the party" and something different to those not privy.

 I believe we see similar tactics in this country today.  I leave it to you to choose (a form of the word choice which also has been twisted) who you wish to accuse of such behavior.  It likely depends on which end of the political spectrum you stand as to how you might respond to that choice.  For those in the middle it appears to be choosing between the lesser of two evils.  The answer is still evil.

The Carolina Horse Nettle (Solanum carolinense) is one of my least favorite weeds.  It is invasive, perennial and toxic.  It is difficult to kill even with most herbicides.  It was once listed in the United States National Formulary (a medical guide for treating various ailments and conditions).  But keep in mind, we also used to use leeches to treat ailments.

I think the Carolina Horse Nettle is an appropriate illustration for this brief blog because it can be attractive when in bloom but watch out for the prickly stickers that can penetrate even good leather gloves.  It may even look like the solution to our ailments but is actually quite toxic.

 Allergy Daze

For the last few weeks pollen has coated the surface of everything outdoors.  The thin yellow film on vehicles lets you know what you are breathing when outside.  Those pollen spores are major irritants to many allergy sufferers such as I am.  Despite the beauty of the Spring, it is a miserable time of year.

All of us must deal with irritants in life.  Hay fever and the various complications of a persistent cough due to perpetual drainage from my sinuses is an easy one to identify and is part of my life since as long as I can remember.  For some reason, this year seems worse.  Perhaps it is a heavier load of pollen, but more likely it is just another symptom of aging.  My body doesn't resist the onslaught as it once did.

In order to manage the allergies, I frequently resort to various over-the-counter medicines.  Those remedies -- or I should say, symptom mitigators -- often leave me feeling somewhat dazed and not completely clear-headed.  Hence, the title of this post, "Allergy Daze."  Aren't you glad I spelled that out for you since it wasn't obvious (ha).

Sadly, the current wave of allergens is only the beginning.  Blooming plants will continue to spew forth their gametes throughout the Spring and Summer and the only brief respite I can anticipate will be sometime after a heavy frost next Fall.

A couple of days ago I spotted the plant in the photograph posted below out in the meadow in front of our house.  It presages that ongoing battle.  Ragweed.  It will meet an early expiration if I am able to get to it in time.

Invasive but Restful

There are many different kinds of American Asters of the Genus Symphyotrichum.  We usually call them daisies when we see them growing.  When they are in the pasture, they are a weed.  I have no idea what species this one might be.

There are many analogies that could be drawn from this photograph I took yesterday morning.  The most obvious being that sometimes things that are attractive are not necessarily the best for us.  I'll pass on the analogies today and just stick with the fact that I like flowers.  I enjoy the variety and beauty of wildflowers.  I don't want to see the pasture filled with them, but one occasionally is acceptable.

It would have been easy to just keep on rolling across the pasture and ignore this invasive beauty, but instead, we stopped and took photographs -- no, that isn't the correct term anymore -- digital images of the wild Asters.  It took only a couple of minutes and the reality is that the flowers break the monotony of the grasses (which is a good thing for cattle) and provide a restful image for the mind.

Sometimes we just need to be distracted -- even momentarily -- from the things that fill our mind which constantly demand our focus and our time.  We function best with breaks in the routine.  We just need to take time to "smell" the flowers.  It's amazing how rejuvenating it can be.

No Nap Today

Normally Sunday is pretty much a day of rest for us. We go to church in the morning but after lunch is usually nap time. Today I missed my nap. I got out and sprayed the yard. Now I'm not talking about spraying for weeds, or fertilizing, or something like that, I'm talking about Roundup. I was spraying to kill. I want to kill the grass, the dandelions, everything. I have tried for three years to reclaim my yard from the mess that we bought and I've gotten nowhere except frustrated. I decided this year I would plow it up, level it, and re-seed it. The weather finally cooperated today. It is the first time that it has been warm enough, or dry enough, or still enough to spray it. I hope I got a good kill -- roots and all. There is stuff out there that no self-respecting person would put up with. I don't know what all of those weeds are, but they are tenacious and have spread every year in spite of everything I have done to defeat them. This is the last shot.

This must be the spring for projects. Besides the lawn, we are remodeling the kitchen. I posted a poem a couple of days ago about that. Yes, it really does cost twice as much for about half of what we thought we could do. Plus the yard. Plus I'm going to have to replace garage doors. And we would like to put in a nice rock patio. I think I'm in over my head. All these things we've put off have hit at once. Logically, the patio should come before the yard. I can't decide whether to jump in and try to do it before re-seeding, or to wait until later in the year. I'm running out of time to get grass established before the weather turns too hot. So, the patio will probably wait.

Killing the existing wild flora that we call a yard is just the first step. Next will be tilling it. Then raking all of the dead grass, etc. out that doesn't plow in. Then I will apply a good starter fertilizer -- I may have to apply a second kill to the growth after plowing -- then I will plow the fertilizer in, rake it level, pack it lightly, and then seed it. Then will come the water. It takes a lot of water to establish even drought tolerant species of grass. Then I get to fight the weeds all over again.

One of our sources of weed problems is that the land to the south of us (the direction from which our prevailing wind blows) is planted to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). When it was put into the program, they planted an inexpensive variety/mix of grasses. They are very invasive. They have spread across my lawn -- and they make lousy lawn grass. There are also lots of weeds in the CRP ground. They all spread their seed my way every time the wind blows. Yeah, I know. I'm just asking for the same problems with my newly re-seeded lawn, but I've got to try. I just can't stand the mess any longer.

We live in the country. A nice lawn shouldn't be a big deal to me I know. But, that isn't the way I was raised. Dad's lawn is always immaculate. I always enjoyed the feel of the lush grass. I have a niece and nephew that sometimes visit. They need a nice lawn to play in. Also, come July, I expect the first grand baby. She will need a nice lawn to play in as well. I've got to get a head start on it or I'll never get it established before she's ready to toddle out into it.

Oh well, it looks like my weekends, and evenings, and every spare minute are going to be occupied for quite some time. Stay tuned, I'll try and remember to keep you updated on the progress.

On another note, Ronnie, if you're reading this, know that Nancy and you are in our prayers.